TheDark Soulsseries is often the benchmark for comparison in challenging games. For a game to be considered hard to beat, it must pass theDark Soulstest. Instead of adding multiple difficulty levels, the developers purposely went out of their way to make the game next to impossible to beat. TheDark Soulslegacy continues to live on through the Soulslike subgenre it has spawned.
Soulslikes are booming nowadays thanks to developers like FromSoftware and Team Ninja. With theDemon’s Soulsremake andElden Ringat the top of the heap, the Soulslike subgenre is not going anywhere. With new IPs and challengers in the genre, players have a solid choice, but they must be prepared for thenightmarish boss fightsthat are included with them.
Updated August 10, 2025, by Michael Llewellyn:The Soulslike genre is for players who love to endure battles of attrition, learn attack patterns, and more. In games where even low-level enemies can kill a player’s character alarmingly fast, defeating a boss can be an incredibly satisfying experience. This list has been updated to include another game with a challenging boss fight to challenge fans. Additionally, tags have been updated to include cover art and specifications.
Black Myth: Wukongis a challenging action RPG with a Soulslike difficulty that fans of the genre will love. However, even the most battle-hardened fans will findBlack Myth’soptional boss, the Scorpionlord, one of its most difficult. The Scorpionlord will dodge the player’s offense and reply with long-range lunges and spin attacks using his tail.
To beat him, players must use fast dodges and jumping attacks to avoid his spins. Furthermore, the Scorpionlord will burrow underground and grab the protagonist from underneath for massive damage.Wukongplayers must be fast and good with counterattacks to avoid getting killed in just a few hits.
Tarsus The First Martyr is one of the most dangerous enemies in theatmosphericMortal Shell.The armored knight attacks with a large broadsword, using speed and ferocity with damaging ice-based attacks. Tarsus vanishes and reappears, so his attack patterns are tricky to parry, and mistiming defense can cost the player dearly.
This fight is made more frustrating by the lack of space the player has to move, making it easy for them to get caught in the icy mist. The best way to fight him is to time a dodge and useMortal Shell’sunique hardening mechanic. Jumping in with the attack before Tarsus casts his mist spell is the safest way to chip away at his HP. Still, it’s a lengthy trial-and-error pattern that is challenging to learn.
The Drunken Samurai is one of the most serious boss fights inRise of the Ronin.He uses a unique style and, as his name suggests, he fights while intoxicated. This makes his movements and attacks hard to predict because there’s a slight delay behind some of them. Players focusing on defense and counterattacks can misjudge and mistime the Drunken Samurai’s attacks.
The Drunken Samurai has slashing combos, a charged grab attack, a charged slash, and a charged rush slash, meaning he can hit the protagonist from multiple angles. He’s the boss equivalent of throwing the player in the deep end. Through this battle,Rise of the Roninteaches its players everything they need to know about timing, parrying, and distance in a challenging early boss fight.
Lies of Pis a dark take on the Pinnochio story. It shares many similarities withBloodborneregarding its Gothic atmosphere and challenge. It is already regarded as one of the best in its genre, and fans shouldn’t miss it. One of the most challenging boss fights in the game is against the Black Rabbit Brotherhood. They are known asstalkers in theLies of Puniverseand comprise four members.
Players will encounter and fight the Brotherhood twice, but the second fight against all four members will cause problems for even the most skilledSoulsfan. Players will take on the Eldest, the Youngest, the Eccentric, and the Battle Maniac in a lengthy and challenging fight.
Lords of the Fallenis the successor to the 2014 original and a reboot, carrying its name into the new generation under the leadership of a new studio. The 2023Lords of the Fallenis another flawedDark Soulsclone, but it is more enjoyable than its predecessor, and the visuals and art design are fantastic.
It has no shortage of formidable boss battles, but one that will test the patience of the most hardenedDarkSoulsfan, The Hushed Saint. The boss rides a horse, which charges and tramples the player. He can throw long-range spears on foot, and it causes a devastating amount of damage. The Hushed Saint has an area of attack that casts wither on the defending player when trying to block it.
Launched in early 2023,Wo Long: Fallen Dynastyis a challenging Soulslike from the developers of theNiohseries. The game is set in a fantasy version of the Han Dynasty, with Chinese Mythology at the forefront of its narrative. The combat is closer toSekiro: Shadows Die Twice,where counters and deflections are the player’s main line of defense.
The first boss that the protagonist encounters is General Zhiang. He is far from the most challenging boss in the game, but he’s also why many players threw in the towel atWo Long’slaunch. The developersreleased a patchto make the fight more manageable, but newcomers would be remiss if they underestimated the General. He acts as a gatekeeper for the remainder of the game and is a harsh lesson in how the mechanics of deflections and timing work inWo Long.
Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Orderand itssequel,Star Wars Jedi: Survivor,are considered Soulslike in their execution. What separates theStar Wars Jediseries from typical Souls games is that players can adjust the difficulty and enjoy the storyline. So, in that sense,Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Ordercan be viewed as a Soulslight.
Players should not sleep onFallen Orderin the more challenging difficulties because fighting The Inquisitors is entertaining and challenging. The final battle against the Second Sister is a nightmare to defeat. She has different phases with unblockable attacks. The best way to defeat Trilla is to be relentless and interrupt her attacks with force attacks, dodge her unlockables, and deflect when needed.
TheSurgeseries is a science fiction series set in a post-apocalyptic future. As the Warrior, players fight against robotic enemies and cybernetically enhanced humans instead of demons and monsters. The games have a robust limb targeting system and satisfying parrying mechanics.
Unfortunately, The Delver boss inSurge 2is fast and makes parrying a challenge unless players have created a complete parrying build because of the unblockable attacks. To defeat it, the Warrior must use aBloodborne-styleapproach of attacking and moving as quickly as possible. The Delver has three phases, all of which can wipe players out in two hits.
Where Zhiang Liang, General of Man, is the gatekeeper boss for Wo Long, the Blindfolded Boy is the ultimate final boss. Considering the Blindfolded Boy was a useless companion in the fight against the General, it appears he was holding back.
The protagonist must deflect a circle of spectral swords fired as a projectile and avoid his ice attacks. He has extra phases where the Blindfolded boy transforms, throws fireballs, and creates clones of himself to make the player’s life even more miserable. Players must utilize every skill in their arsenal to beat him and his clones.
The regular giant Gargoyles inElden Ringcan be problematic and challenging to defeat. However, the Valiant Gargoyle is a nightmare because a second Gargoyle will appear in the second phase, meaning the player will have two giant monsters to deal with.
The Gargoyles are fast and powerful and will give chase when trying to create some distance. To make matters worse, when focusing on one Gargoyle at a time, the second will attack with a poisonous gas with a large area of attack. The bosses can be found in the Siofra Aqueduct. Thankfully, the fight can be made easier if one hascompleted the D questline inElden Ringso they can use his brother as a summon in combat.
